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ATHLETICS - BECOMING FIT FOR LIFE™
At the Colorado Springs Early Colleges our athletic program is as unique as our academic program. Just like our academic program, our athletic program begins with our Individualized Learning Plan. In the case of our athletic program this means that we take every student, just as they come; we determine their current fitness level and then define a set of reasonable goals that will meet the student's individual fitness needs. Our goal is to introduce our students to physical activities that they will enjoy for their entire life, not just while they are in High School. Included below is a vision for the athletic program at the Colorado Springs Early Colleges. Please explore this vision with us, as we begin to refine and define the various specific components of this program.
VISION FOR THE EARLY COLLEGES ATHLETIC PROGRAM The foundation of Colorado Springs Early Colleges (CSEC) and of our sports program is for all students to experience a Life Ready Education™. The Individual Learning Plan (ILP) serves as the guide for all academic activities, so too, the ILP will guide our student’s participation in our sports program. When the student is accepted into our school they will participate in a test called Accuplacer. This test identifies where the student should be placed within our core curriculum. A similar test called the Fitness Gram/Activity Gram by Marilu Meredith and Gregory Welk will be used to identify the fitness level each student brings with them to our school. And just as the Accuplacer test identifies where we place the student academically, the Fitness Gram/Activity Gram will help us identify the goals and objectives the student will meet in order to improve their fitness level. The ILP will also be used to identify specific fitness goals each student would like to achieve. For example, if a student entering our school has a desire to play on a competitive team, be it a high school team or a club team, the student’s ILP will be written to include such fitness activities as will help that student develop the skills necessary to win a spot on that competitive team. These activities will include coaching in specific skills necessary to excel in that sport.
All students, regardless of whether they have an interest in playing on a competitive team or not, will participate in the CSEC’s Sports Program. This program will consist of literally dozens of fitness activities designed to encourage our students, regardless of skill level, to be fit for a lifetime. They include activities such as walking, jogging and running, rock climbing, snow shoeing, snow skiing and snowboarding, orienteering, camping, hiking, fishing, biking, mountain climbing, just to mention a few. Our students will earn points toward the required two PE credits by participating in any or all of these activities.
Thus, we take every student, regardless of skill or experience, just as they come, and develop an ILP for them that reflect the kind of growth we would expect them to achieve in physical fitness. During the student’s weekly faculty advising session, we will review the student’s progress toward their fitness goals as reflected in their ILP, and adjust assigned activities or modify their ILP as appropriate. And just as we record their academic grades in their permanent record, we will also record their fitness grades as well.
In addition to the CSEC’s Sports Program, CSEC will offer all students and their families an opportunity to participate in the CSEC Intramural Tournament Program. Throughout the year, typically monthly, CSEC will rent a facility to conduct an Intramural Tournament. These tournaments can have activities like dodge-ball, softball, tennis, golf, broom hockey, volleyball, basketball, soccer, flag football, to name just a few. The teams will be both co-ed and co-parent teams, where every team that enters the tournament must have a parent on the team, either as a coach or as a player. CSEC fully expects that at sometime there may even be a faculty team or even an all parents team that competes with the student organized teams in one or more of these events. At some future time, it may even serve our students to invite their friends from other schools to participate in these tournaments.
We expect that every student will participate in one or more of these tournaments during their tenure at the Colorado Springs Early Colleges. We expect that these events will be attended by students and their families, and will become part of our effort to create community within our school.
Every student attending CSEC will also have the opportunity to participate in physical education classes offered at Colorado Technical University and courses offered by Pikes Peak Community College (PPCC) and University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS). These courses will fulfill the student’s graduation requirements in high school physical education, and if taken at PPCC or UCCS meet some of the elective requirements for their college degree.
In summary, every student attending the Colorado Springs Early Colleges is expected to earn two credits in physical education as part of their high school graduation requirements. Students will earn these credits, often over the four years they attend CSEC, by participating in one or more of four physical education activities:
The Colorado Springs Early Colleges Sports Program is multifaceted. It provides our students with an opportunity to explore health and exercise in the context of developing a lifelong commitment to fitness.
By clicking on this link, you can download a copy of our Updated Athletic Policies and Procedures: |
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